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Cream Cheese And Smoked Salmon Vol Au Vents

Can you already feel it?

That’s right! It’s almost that time of the year. When the shelves of your local Hobby Lobby are stuffed with Christmas decorations and a magazine rack at Whole Foods is filled with Holiday Cookies Magazines, you realise, that Thanksgiving and Christmas indeed are around the corner.

As a matter of fact, even my husband has already started to upload and listen to Christmas songs.

Does it say something?:)

I don’t know about you but I’m definitely ready for the holiday season. Although, I haven’t bought gifts yet, I can’t wait to celebrate.

Since both of our families live far away, this year we’re probably not going to spend Thanksgiving with them. Nevertheless, we still have some fun things planned out and hopefully we’ll be able to carry them off.

Last weekend, when I was flipping through the pages of my favorite cookbook A Kitchen In France by Mimi Thorisson, there was one recipe that sparked my curiosity. It is called Vol Au Vents which means “blown by the wind”.

Vol Au Vents are small hollow cases of puff pastry filled with anything that you can think of. In her book, Mimi filled Vol Au Vents with Chicken & Mushrooms. You can’t go wrong with this combo, right?

To make my Vol Au Vents, I’ve used one of my favorite fillings of all times – smoked salmon. I don’t know about you, but I love anything smoked salmon. It has this beautiful smoky flavor that pairs well with puff pastry thus creating a perfect little bite for any party or get-together.

These Cream Cheese And Smoked Salmon Vol Au Vents can be even easier to make if you go with a store-bought puff pastry. Although, if you want to be 100 % authentic, you might want to make your own puff pastry. But let me tell you, I’ve been there and done that. For me, the process of making a puff pastry is not the easiest thing to do.

That’s why for the time being I prefer a store-bought version which works beautifully in this recipe.

To get started, lightly dust your working surface with flour. Remove the puff pastry from a wrap and lightly roll it out 1/4 inch thick. Make sure the dough is of the even thickness.

Using a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut out 18 circles. Depending on the size of your dough, you might end up having 20 circles.

Using a smaller 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter, gently mark half of the pastry circles making sure not to cut all the way through. I actually didn’t have a smaller cookie cutter and I didn’t want to go to a store, so my daughter’s bottle cap made a trick.

Brush the unmarked pastry circles with a beaten egg. Place the marked circles on top of unmarked circles.

Brush again with an egg.

Place your 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter between unbaked cookies and place a wire rack on top of the cookie cutter. That way the cookies will be of the same height.

Bake in a preheated to 400 F oven for 20 – 23 minutes until Vol Au Vents have risen and golden. Using a tip of a sharp knife, gently cut out caps from the pastry and dig out a little bit of pastry to make some room for the filling.

Using a smaller 1½ inch cookie cutter gently mark half of the pastry circles making sure not to cut all the way through.

Brush the unmarked pastry circles with a beaten egg. Place the marked circles on top of unmarked circles and brush again with an egg.

Place your 3½ inch cookie cutter between unbaked cookies and place a wire rack on top of the cookie cutter. That way the cookies will be of the same height.

Bake for 20 - 23 minutes until Vol Au Vents have risen and golden. Using a tip of a sharp knife, gently cut out caps from the pastry and dig out a little bit of pastry to make some room for the filling.

In a small bowl combine whipped cream cheese, whole grain mustard and minced chives. Fill the pastry bag attached with Wilton tip #1M with a filling and fill the pastry cases with a mixture.

Roll each piece of salmon into a rose and place in the middle of cream cheese filling. Garnish with some chives and enjoy!

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If you’re looking for the perfect and fancy Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer, give these Smoked Salmon Vol Au Vents a try. There’s no doubt, everyone will love them!

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a photo and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons.